F.A.Q
What are these trucks?
These are Japanese Kei (Kay) trucks. These are what Japanese farmers and tradesmen use to get to work. The Kei truck has been made in Japan for many years and most major manufacturers make one. We sell Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Daihatsu and Mazda.
Is one brand better then the other?
No. If you buy low mileage trucks you will have good results with any of the brands listed above.
Can I save money by buying a high mileage truck?
You might save some at the onset, but sooner or later you will pay the piper. There is a good amount of service that is required when the vehicles reach 70,000 miles. If you buy a truck with 70,000 miles or more you should figure you will spend a fair amount of cash performing the required maintenance. More than likely you will spend more than it would have cost you to buy a lower mileage unit to begin with.
If you buy a truck with low miles you will more than likely only have to do an oil change as your regular maintenance. We strongly recommend you purchase a low mileage truck or make sure the selling dealer change or replace the following:
- Timing belt
- Serpentine belt
- Upper/lower radiator hoses
- Flush/fill coolant
- Check or replace worn or leaking CV boots/shaft
- Check or replace worn universal joints
- Spark plugs and wires
- Motor mounts (as needed)
- Check head gasket
- Steering arm bushing
- Rear transmission seal
- Rear oil seal
- Cap and rotor (if applicable)
- Right/Left struts
- Change oil and install new air filter
The end result is that if you buy a high mileage truck you may not save much if you add
the cost of required maintenance to the purchase price.
Where do you get parts?
We provide parts for all of our customers. We can get almost any part within two weeks. Do not believe it when a dealer tells you that you can find any part at the local supplier. Right now you can find oil filters, some belts, hoses and spark plugs and that’s it. If you want a CV shaft, starter, or other engine component you must get it from Japan. For us, that is no problem. The parts are readily available in Japan. Our Japanese buyers get your part, packages it and we have it in the next few days. Visit: www.usedminitruckparts.com
Do you have any really low priced trucks?
We try to provide the best value for our customers. We do not buy high mileage, rusty trucks. It cost the same to ship a worn out rusty truck as it does to ship a nice truck. We want our customers to get good use out of their trucks so that means we must buy nice trucks. If you are looking for a “project” to work on, we are not going to be able to help you.
What kind of motors do they have?
The trucks are powered by a three or four cylinder 660cc, gas motors. The trucks are available in manual or automatic transmissions. The trucks will consume about a pint of fuel and hour at idle. That means they burn a gallon of fuel a day at idle speeds. Wow! Very efficient! All of the trucks have heaters and some have air conditioning. The clutch, brake, and gas petal configuration is the same as any American car even though the steering wheel is on the right side. The trucks are made in two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
Is diesel available?
No. Diesel is not available for the minitrucks. The trucks with diesel motors are larger one-ton trucks. There is no such thing as a diesel minitruck. If you see one, it is a larger truck than the standard minitruck.
Can we get the steering wheel on the left hand side?
Many years ago you could. As of this time you cannot. It is a possibility that the manufacturers may change this policy, but for now left hand drive is not available As mentioned earlier the clutch, brake and gas are in the same order as any standard vehicle. They are really easy to drive. If you know how to work a clutch it is not hard to use your left hand to shift.
How come the Chinese minitrucks are cheaper?
Chinese trucks are two wheel drive and are not as dependable as the Japanese trucks we import. China has had numerous difficulties in manufacturing a dependable product, and as of right now they do not seem to care about the consumer. If you are looking for poor quality, no parts availability, poor resale value and limited utility, then you should buy a Chinese made Kei truck. You obviously are a glutton for punishment and no reasonable mind can persuade you otherwise.
Can you drive them on the road?
No. They are not licensed for the road.
What do you need to do to get a license for them to drive on the road?
We sell them as off road vehicles. We import them as off road vehicles we must sell them as off road vehicles. If you ask me this question again I will give you the exact same answer.
How much do the trucks weigh?
The trucks weigh between fifteen and seventeen hundred pounds. They also have a payload capacity of about ½ ton. The standard truck has rear fold down tray sides and some have dump boxes. The trucks also get around 50 miles per gallon in normal driving conditions.
How fast will they go?
They have a top safe speed of about 55 miles an hour.
What is the difference between Axle Lock and Diff Lock?
Axle lock refers to the rear axle. This feature makes both rear wheels spin at the same time. Diff lock refers to a locking front differential. This feature makes both front wheels spin at the same time.
Is this feature very important?
Sometimes it can be. Most farmers will agree that you can get stuck further out in the field with the diff lock/axle locks than without.
How much are they?
The trucks range in price from $3,000 to $16,000.
Why do we list the sales price on the trucks?
We realize that our customers have very little time and to make the best use of their time we list the price and features of all of the trucks.
How come you do not post trucks that have sold?
Again, our customers do not care about what we had; they care about what we have.
How up-to-date is your website?
We update the site every 6 days and we usually post the next two loads set to arrive. If there is something that you do not see, please let us know and we can try to shop for you.
Do you offer any warranties?
We can provide you with a three-year unlimited kilometer power-train warranty if you are interested.
What if I want to import to Canada?
Call our office number and we can tell you what you can legally import.
What about wholesale purchases?
You are welcome to buy as many as you like.
What about buying a full container load from a container load supplier?
When we first started in the minitruck business we bought from the container sellers. We would purchase seven older trucks in a single container for between $22,000 and $26,000.00 for all seven. We found that we typically received one nice truck, three average trucks and three rusty junks. When we complained about the end product we received no answer back. We later developed contacts and friendship with our current Japanese suppliers and they have been good buyers for us ever since. If you try the blind container shipment make sure you are set up to make the necessary repairs and your standards are very low. A fellow told me once he paid $5300.00 for a truck with 235,000 kilometers on it. I looked up what he paid for it and it sold for $150.00 in Japan. This may be typical of what you will find with the container sellers.
We buy nice good quality vehicles that will give our customers many years of usage. Our buyers make sure you will get good value from your minitruck purchases from Gung Ho.
What if I want to buy a container load from you?
Right now we do not have the time resources to provide you with container shipments, but you can buy as many as you like from our store and if you buy four or more we will give you a discounted price on the package. It will be slightly higher than your container price, but you will know what you are getting and when. Send us an email about the four trucks you want and we will email you back with your product and shipping costs.
